The present invention relates to an air-bag.
It has been proposed to provide an air-bag which has a plurality of inflatable regions or chambers which are to be supplied with gas from a gas generator. One example of such an air-bag is a so-called “inflatable curtain” which is adapted to be mounted in the roof line of the vehicle above the door openings of the vehicle, and which is also adapted, when an accident occurs, to be deployed to lie adjacent to the window openings formed in the door, thus forming a protective curtain located between the occupants of the vehicle and the side of the vehicle. Such inflatable curtains are intended to provide protection to the occupants of the vehicle in the event of a side impact or roll-over situation.
Inflatable curtains must be inflated very quickly, necessitating a high gas flow rate into the bag. The forces generated by this very high gas flow rate may cause the bag to tear. Continued inflation may result in the tear propagating, therefore degrading the performance characteristic of the air-bag. Certain areas of the air-bag have been found to be more prone to tearing than others, and in certain air-bag designs it has been found that even adding extra stitching does not result in the avoidance of such tearing.
The invention seeks to provide an improved air-bag.